Bill Kenny of Norwich: Big issues require our fullest attention, no matter our politics
I saw a bumper sticker recently: “My mind is made up. Don’t confuse me with facts.” Ouch! We have the tools and technology to expand our world beyond our wildest imaginations. But also, the danger, because we are humans with free will, of using those same tools to restrict and constrict the world as we see it or as we'd like it to be seen.
The nearly endless choices of information sources we each have can be a fulcrum from which we can move the world. Or it can be a cudgel to bludgeon those with whom we disagree into submission.
There are no right answers to our fascination and addiction to information and its twin, misinformation. One person’s patriot is another person’s traitor. When the Founding Fathers created the Bill of Rights, they had newspapers and broadsides in mind when speaking of "freedom of the press." The electronic fire currently consuming America from McMansions to crack houses could not be imagined then (or controlled now as it turns out); neither could its impact.
Now we pick our echo chamber when and where you want news. Truisms are often truths, and perceptions of reality become their own reality. And everything we disagree with is "fake news." Why? Because somebody told us so.
Many believe certain broadcasters and websites are right or left of center (and those are some of the kinder names they're called) and cite numerous examples to support those positions. Meanwhile, the total number of us who get our information on the world beyond our threshold just from TV news (of any kind) continues to decline and the folks who own those channels grow more nervous as their audience (and profits) shrink.
Traditional and social media news probably now does more persuasion and less informing because advocacy draws better ratings (and clicks) than reporting and analysis. Intellectual curiosity is out of style.
It's easy to "hose down the area" as electronic news gatherers call it when covering stories like health care or gun rights, immigration protests, labor strife, and what-have-you. And much of the time, we're no longer actually watching events to learn about the issues but to pick a side (usually the one that confirms our own preconceived notion) as if we were at a zero-sum game like a sporting event.
Am I supposed to believe Franklin, Jefferson and Washington saw eye to eye on every aspect of what proved to be the American Revolution? Doubtful. Perhaps they came to an agreement on the portions they shared and agreed to disagree about the rest. Maybe we could/should try that again.
You must get as tired of reading it as I get tired of typing it: The issues we face can't be captured in a 70-second report or three paragraphs on a website. They require our fullest attention, no matter our political beliefs (as a matter of fact, precisely because of our political beliefs).
Not just Democrats or liberals require health care and not just Republicans or conservatives are taxed too much. And those who feel that way or who feel differently don't come from another dimension or drink their bath water (or any of the other insults we manufacture when we disagree with each other).
The farther out in space we travel, the more we all look alike down here. Why can’t we agree to put the remotes down, leave the mouse alone, and use those now-free hands to help one another?
Bill Kenny, of Norwich, writes a weekly column about Norwich issues. His blog, Tilting at Windmills, can be accessed at https://tiltingatwindmills-dweeb.blogspot.com/.
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Bill Kenny of Norwich: Advice for both Democrats and Republicans
